DRINKING WATER

alaska Case Study: Groundwater DWTP (AK) - DEXSORB Full-Scale

A DWTP client in Alaska detected elevated PFAS contamination levels in two groundwater wells supplying drinking water to 85 service connections. PFAS concentrations are provided in Table 1, where combined concentration of EPA PFAS6 was detected at 490 to 810 ppt.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Why Remote System Management Is The Key To Resiliency

    It is increasingly difficult for municipal water utilities to provide seamless operations. Community growth, changing regulations, aging infrastructure, and extreme events are just a few of the challenges that need to be met. Remotely managing the key functions of water, wastewater, and stormwater operations in this rapidly evolving landscape — with the ability to act based on deep insights — underpins resiliency and creates a smart utility network.

  • Precision Under Pressure: Engineering Custom Solutions For Pipe Emergencies

    Emergency pipe repairs demand speed and accuracy. Custom engineered fittings ensure reliability in non-standard conditions, minimizing downtime, avoiding costly damage, and restoring service with precision and efficiency.

  • Retrofit Expansion Of An Ultrafiltration System Using TORAY UF Modules

    The Brazos Regional Public Utility Agency (BRPUA) in Texas operates the Surface Water and Treatment System (SWATS) that treats water from Lake Granbury, fed by the Brazos River. The SWATS facility first began operating in 1988 with clarification, dual media filtration, and electrodialysis reversal (EDR). The plant was upgraded in 2001 to include ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treatment to produce higher quality effluent.

  • Monitoring WTP Ozone Use With Maximum Cost-Efficiency

    The value of ozone as a disinfection agent is well understood in water treatment plants (WTPs). So too, is its cost. Getting maximum value from an ozone investment requires accurate measurement to assure proper disinfection levels without wasteful overuse of the precious gas. Here are multiple ways thermal dispersion mass flow meters deliver precise readings with lower installation and maintenance costs.

  • Keeping The Operator In Focus: The Four Pillars Of Operator Effectiveness

    This paper shows how the four pillars of operator effectiveness lead operators to greater awareness, faster response and better decisions.

  • Water Management Tips For Natural Disasters

    Remote water shut-off valves and preemptive planning enable municipalities to protect water infrastructure and respond effectively during natural disasters, ensuring public safety and service continuity.

  • Meeting Customer Demands For Clean Water At Bristol Water

    Bristol Water provides clean, fresh drinking water every day to approximately 1.2 million people in the city of Bristol and surrounding areas in the west of England. As part of taking inventory on ways to improve its service, Bristol Water undertook its largest ever program of customer engagement. This invited customers to participate in the decisions Bristol Water makes about the future of their water services.

  • Treating 1,4-Dioxane Using Advanced Oxidation Processes

    What is 1,4-dioxane, and why is it an issue? Read this article to learn more about this byproduct and how it can be treated. 

  • BNR + MBR Equals Success At Water Reclamation Facility

    Biological Nutrient Removal is allowing many wastewater treatment plants to achieve extremely high effluent quality. Still, for some applications even the most advanced BNR processes can’t address all concerns.

  • Recognized Results Based On Quality Assurance And Quality Control

    Responsibility for analysis results lies with the users themselves or their supervisors. Both are therefore liable for any incorrect interpretations and decisions that are made as a consequence of incorrect data.

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator's (AEC) modular design provides a small footprint and low energy consumption, and it can be skidded, trailer-mounted, or custom configured to fit into existing spaces.

Hydra-Stop is proud to introduce the Bevel Gear Actuator to our line of solutions for control, now available for purchase. Ideal for shallow bury applications, the Bevel Gear Actuator allows for the operation of horizontal Insta-Valve 250 installations on lines as shallow as 12-18 inches."

Technology pilot demonstrations can be beneficial by providing a snapshot of essential process operating conditions and allowing the customer to actively interact with the technology and factory personnel.

Harmsco has developed a higher capacity filter housing that is BABA compliant, and it is available in a 3X, as well as a 5X model.

U.S. Pipe’s HP LOK® Restrained Joint Pipe and Fittings offer flexible push-on joints for 42"–64" ductile iron pipe, providing a working pressure equivalent to the parent pipe, with a maximum rating of 350 psi.

The new compact 80GHz free space radar sensors Micropilot FMR10B, FMR20B, FMR30B  offer highly accurate and reliable measurements independent of installation conditions and external influences. The new devices come along with specialized accessories for the particular conditions of open channels. Both flow and level measurements can be easily operated via Bluetooth thanks to remote access, using any mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet.

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

Architect Kate Orff sees the oyster as an agent of urban change. Bundled into beds and sunk into city rivers, oysters slurp up pollution and make legendarily dirty waters clean — thus driving even more innovation in "oyster-tecture." Orff shares her vision for an urban landscape that links nature and humanity for mutual benefit.

After rising public pressure and lawsuits over health concerns, the city of Newark, New Jersey (a half-hour from New York City) is undertaking one of the most ambitious and impactful infrastructure projects in the country: replacing all of its residential lead service lines within 2 years.

A group of Congressional Democratic lawmakers from Michigan has proposed legislation to provide $600 million in financial assistance to help Flint deal with its current water crisis.

As utilities worldwide face mounting pressure from drought, water scarcity, and tightening regulations, this webinar explores how validated, chemical-free UV solutions are reshaping disinfection across surface water, wastewater, desalination, and potable reuse.

Bluefield Research analyst, Erin Bonney Casey, presents on water reuse markets in the U.S. during the WateReuse Association's One Water Innovations Press Workshop at WEFTEC 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

ABOUT DRINKING WATER

In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:

  1. Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
  2. Drinking water treatment of source water
  3. Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers

Drinking Water Sources

Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater. 

Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.

Drinking Water Treatment

Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.

There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.

The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.

The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.

During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.

Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.

Drinking Water Distribution

Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.

A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.

Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.